Cord Blood Banking

There are many issues surrounding cord blood banking making it difficult for young mothers to decide whether they should opt for it or not. This article should throw some more light on the topic and make it easier for you to make your decision. First let me briefly explain what cord blood is and its importance. Umbilical cord blood is the blood that is collected from the placenta at the time of childbirth. This blood contains stem cells which have blood forming properties. They can renew themselves and create new blood cells, platelets, red and white blood cells. Therefore these cells are very important in treating diseases such as leukemia, anemia, lymphoma and thalassemia.

Having explained the importance of baby cord blood, let us now examine the process of cord blood banking. Once the cord blood is collected, it is screened for common genetic diseases. Then the red blood cells are removed and it is frozen in liquid nitrogen. This preserved cord blood is then stored in a cord blood bank for further use.

A cord blood bank stores the umbilical cord blood which has been collected and preserved. The purpose of this bank is to enable patients to avail of cord blood as and when required. More and more pregnant women are now donating their cord blood so that it can be stored in the bank to be used for treatment, for their own family or others who need it.

Types of cord blood banks

There are two types of cord blood banks. A private cord blood bank is where you can store your cord blood for possible use by yourself, your child or anyone in your own family. A public cord blood bank, on the other hand, is where you can donate your cord blood so that it can be stored and used by anyone who needs it, even an unrelated person.

If you have a history of genetic disease in your family, then it is strongly recommended that you store your cord blood in a private cord blood bank as you can use it later for treatment of your child if required.

In the case of a public bank, as mentioned earlier, your cord blood can be used by anyone. And if you require a cord blood transplantation, then you can get it immediately from any public bank, the only issue being that it would have to be from an unrelated donor.

Cost is another issue with cord blood banking. Private cord blood banks charge a fee to store your cord blood, which may prove to be costly for some. Whereas public banks accept your cord blood donation and store it free of cost.

If the cost is acceptable to you and you will be more comfortable knowing your own baby's cord blood is available to you at any time, then private cord blood banking would be a good option for you.